Dypsis baronii

[Ed in Houston]

D. baronii is reputed to be cold hardy to 25F by the Dave's Garden website and rated as a 9b palm by Palmpedia.

This palm should be able to grow for many years in warmer parts of the Houston area at least in micro climates. I have a fully developed understory and a SSW wall that in which these could be planted. I purchased 4 one gallon specimens of these a couple on months ago and moved them up to 5 gallon containers. Is it a reasonable risk to try these in Houston? How have they fared in Florida 9b winters?

Ed In Houston

 

 

 

[Ben in Norcal]

4 minutes ago, Ed in Houston said:

D. baronii is reputed to be cold hardy to 25F by the Dave's Garden website and rated as a 9b palm by Palmpedia.

This palm should be able to grow for many years in warmer parts of the Houston area at least in micro climates. I have a fully developed understory and a SSW wall that in which these could be planted. I purchased 4 one gallon specimens of these a couple on months ago and moved them up to 5 gallon containers. Is it a reasonable risk to try these in Houston? How have they fared in Florida 9b winters?

Ed In Houston

 

 

 

Pretty solid in 9b California...have had them in the ground 4-5 years with no damage or issues any winter.  So far they have only seen down to 30 degrees-ish though.

[RedRabbit]

That's a nice looking palm. I'd give it a try, but nobody has them for sale around here... It looks like a clumper so even if it gets frozen to the ground it should come back.  

[Ed in Houston]

14 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

That's a nice looking palm. I'd give it a try, but nobody has them for sale around here... It looks like a clumper so even if it gets frozen to the ground it should come back.  

I purchased mine from Floribunda, 8 bucks for a one gallon plus S&H.

I also considered the clumping characteristic as a plus for coming back from a freeze.

 

Ed in Houston

[Palmaceae]

That is a nice looking palm, did not realize they were that hardy.

[Zeeth]

1 hour ago, RedRabbit said:

That's a nice looking palm. I'd give it a try, but nobody has them for sale around here... It looks like a clumper so even if it gets frozen to the ground it should come back.  

I've heard that D. baronii isn't the best choice for Florida, but I am aware of a few people who've had success with it. Hopefully the black stem variant eventually makes it's way over here for trial. 

[topwater]

I planted one last fall and my biggest concern was that it would fry come summer because it's in a spot where it catches an hour or so of afternoon sun. I'm impressed so far, I think these guys may be tougher than they look. Good luck with yours!  

[RedRabbit]

4 hours ago, Zeeth said:

I've heard that D. baronii isn't the best choice for Florida, but I am aware of a few people who've had success with it. Hopefully the black stem variant eventually makes it's way over here for trial. 

Ahh, thanks Zeeth! After watching some of my palms really struggle this summer I'm going to stick with stuff that's happy here like B. alfredii.

[topwater]

4 hours ago, Zeeth said:

I've heard that D. baronii isn't the best choice for Florida, but I am aware of a few people who've had success with it. Hopefully the black stem variant eventually makes it's way over here for trial. 

I bought mine from a grower in CA and they were represented as "black stem", I guess it's too early to tell but they look more "red stem" to me. 

[Ed in Houston]

3 hours ago, topwater said:

I planted one last fall and my biggest concern was that it would fry come summer because it's in a spot where it catches an hour or so of afternoon sun. I'm impressed so far, I think these guys may be tougher than they look. Good luck with yours!  

Great! I had somehow imagined that I must be the only one in Texas that was interested in trying to grow this palm. Last winter was not a challenge to it's cold hardiness. I plan on planting mine next late February or early March.

Ed in Houston

[DoomsDave]

Ed:

Hmm. Pusheth thou the zones and see what happens!

The D. baronii in my garden suffered serious damage in the big freeze of 2007, but that was four days of 27 F, with no canopy. They haven't been tested since. (Hard to believe it's been 10 years, almost. Geez.)

I think they'd be well worth a try in Hugetown, though make sure they have good drainage.

If they do freeze back, they likely won't come up from the stumps like lutescens do. Lutes pup from the base and a beheaded specimen will grow anew. Baronii split and grow two heads; in my experience beheaded specimens croak.

Floribunda palms has some nice ones; maybe go halvsies on a Floribunda order with some palm buds?

I think your big problem will be the eventual Blue Norther of Doom that sends temps into the teens. Could be this winter; could be next century. Maybe grow in a 20-gallon tub and haul into the garage in case of the cold?

 

[HASNZ38S]

It's very hard to compare New Zealand to USDA zones as the extremes of heat and cold (especially in the North Island) don't exist. I live in an area classified as 9(a) and relatively inland (auckland is only an hours drive away and is 10(a) to 10(b) in sheltered places), coldest night this winter was -4C (around 25F) and mine had no visible damage. I find they are slightly more tender than my archontopheonix cunninghamiana.

The attached photos are some more mature specimens in Auckland.

Edited September 9, 2016 by HASNZ38S

[topwater]

My tiny D. baronii made it through the winter fine, it took a low of 28f and a 9 hour freeze that absolutely nuked two much larger, well established D. lutescens. The palms are no more than ten feet apart.   These guys are both in a unprotected area on the north side of my house that faces miles of open water so they get blasted by freezing wind and covered in salt spray when cold fronts blow through.  I think D. baronii is going to be a great 9b/9a palm in southeast Texas, it definitely should be grown more.  The green one is the baronii seedling, the fried one is a six foot tall lute: